Tigers grab Gillies

Tom Gillies has joined GDFL club Bannockburn. (krockfootball.com.au Image/Ashlin Vijayan)

BANNOCKBURN has landed one of the recruits of the GDFL off-season with the signing of star St Mary’s forward Tom Gillies.

Gillies, who played 15 AFL games in five seasons with Geelong and Melbourne, has been at the Saints since 2014, appearing on 92 occasions and kicking 172 goals, including 52 this year to finish third on the GFL goal kicking table.

Tigers coach Peter Riccardi is confident the 28-year-old, who is living in the area, will fill the gap left by the retirement of Jason Tom at the end of 2017.

“With Jase leaving, it left an 80-90 goal hole,” Riccardi said. “We put the responsibility on ‘Kizza’ (Kieran Fulton), who is pretty much a ruckman/forward, and it was probably a bit too much.

“And Blake Miller not playing for the best part of two years, we put a bit of pressure on those younger guys.

Bannockburn has also welcomed back Jai Robinson from a stint with GFL club Geelong West, while adding Gillies former St Mary’s teammate Hamish Scott, Newtown & Chilwell’s Alex Hyslop, and Jayke Short, who has most recently played at Bell Post Hill.